"We Create Music" Blog

Your first headlining gig is a culmination of everything you've done, and an opportunity to do something new with your live show. But how do you prep for it? We asked ASCAP electro-pop band Scavenger Hunt, who are playing their first headlining gig next week in LA. AND: we're giving away two pairs of tix to the show!

Mixing engineers can make your song pop out of the speakers and sound clear and polished, perfectly complementing the recorded elements of your song. But what exactly is mixing, and what should you look for when choosing a mixing engineer? Here’s a primer that will get you on the right track in no time.

So you've got great songs and a great backing band. Your live show isn't complete unless you've got great stage banter, too. Here are some tips for better banter from Ingrid Michaelson, a true master of the craft.

New York may not be the capital of film/TV music, but there's some amazing music coming out of NYC these days. What is it like to be a composer so far away from Hollywood? We spoke with Danny Bensi, Ian Hultquist and Simon Taufique - three ASCAP composers who’ve spent time living and working in the Big Apple.

Buzz bands aren't the only music creators worth hearing at SXSW this week! The 2015 SXSW Film Festival (March 13 to 21) runs parallel to the SXSW Music Festival, and many of the most hotly-tipped films feature scores by ASCAP composers. Here are 34 SXSW films scored by our members. See you in Austin!

Listen to the exuberant, genre-bending pop on MisterWives' debut LP Our Own House. It's the New York band's "we are ready" statement, where the songs, the energy, the wit all come together. We caught up with MisterWives' singer Mandy Lee just before she strapped on her dancing shoes and left for a national tour.

Music has done an incredible job of chronicling the shift in how we love, and communicate love, in the age of Twitter and texting. This Valentine's Day, we've collected some of our favorite ASCAP songs about love in the digital age. Turn your monitor's brightness down low - this one's for the 21st century lovers in the house!

The title character of Mortdecai may be a bumbling art dealer, but he's got an impeccable soundtrack for his misadventures in the funky, zany collaborative score from ASCAP composer Geoff Zanelli and it-producer Mark Ronson. We asked Zanelli about the particulars of the film's madcap music.

As Best of the Year lists pour in from music critics, blogs and magazines, it's becoming overwhelmingly clear: the most acclaimed albums of 2014 were created by ASCAP songwriters. Find out which of our members won the hearts of the critics this year.

Most of our favorite holiday songs have been around for decades. But that doesn’t mean that songwriters aren’t still coming up with worthy new contributions. Here are 15 of our favorite original ASCAP holiday songs from 2014. Maybe you'll find a new favorite to accompany your tree-decorating and candle-lighting this year.

Technology has offered hundreds of new ways for songwriters to get their ideas down and express themselves. With Point Blank Music School, you can learn how to take your creativity to new heights using Ableton Live.

Marco Beltrami did more than just compose a score for the new western The Homesman. He and Buck Sanders captured the film's expansive visual and emotional landscapes, writing music as beautiful and eerie as the western frontier. Find out how they did it with this exclusive look at Beltrami's liner notes for the score soundtrack.

Leland is the mind-bending pop brainchild of ASCAP songwriter Brett McLaughlin. To celebrate the November 4th release of Leland's very first video, for debut single "Aware," we asked him to tell us five things that every songwriter should be "aware" of.

Singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc has written a fiery op-ed for Wired calling on streaming services to pay songwriters fairly. Blacc urges policymakers to update the Consent Decrees that keep songwriters from negotiating the true value of their work.

ASCAP is proud to introduce the Eventbrite Artist Studio, a new resource center to help artists and musicians set up and sell out a mind-blowing live show from start to finish. Learn how to build a brand, secure sponsors, engage fans year round and so much more.

R&B singer-songwriter Goapele has built a career out of singing the truth like only she can. On her new album Strong As Glass, Goapele worked with new collaborators and sounds for a stronger, more vulnerable album than anything she's done before. Watch her explain how she created Strong As Glass, and what she hopes you take from it.